Airbus ProSky, CAAS to Research ATM in Singapore

Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Airbus ProSky signed a Research Collaboration Agreement (RCA) to jointly develop a Concept of Operations for Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) based on Collaborative Decision Making (CDM). The RCA follows the foundational Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on Air Traffic Management (ATM) research and development collaboration that was signed in November 2012. The MoC is part of CAAS' larger effort to advance ATM research and development in Singapore under its Center of Excellence for ATM initiative.

"CAAS is pleased to partner Airbus ProSky in ATM research and development, and specifically this important first research endeavour to develop a novel Air Traffic Flow Management Concept of Operations that is unique to Singapore and the Asia Pacific region. It will pave the way for the eventual application of advanced air traffic flow management solutions that will benefit the aviation community. Customised for the region based on coordination and cooperation, these solutions will provide for better management of the rising air traffic volumes in the Asia Pacific," said Yap Ong Heng, director-general of CAAS.

The Asia Pacific, being the world's fastest growing region for air travel, will face increasing complexity in the operating environment due to rapid growth in air traffic. Under this RCA, CAAS and Airbus ProSky will embark on a joint research project to address the challenges of air traffic flow in the context of the specific operational dynamics of the region. A technology testbed that runs on the Harmony ATFM solution platform will be built in Singapore for the development, experimentation, demonstration and refinement of the ATFM Concept of Operations. The Harmony solution suite has been successfully deployed for similar ATFM research and development projects that were conducted in the United States, South Africa and Australia. This joint research project will be the first to be undertaken under the MoC collaboration framework as well as the Centre of Excellence for ATM initiative.